Sharp pain when chewing and long trip starts tomorrow

[Anonymous]

So stressed right now. I had sharp pains in my jaw/ ear (I think ear but it was hard to tell) while chewing this evening. I had it once before in the past 2-3 weeks, nothing else.

I'm getting on a plane tomorrow morning and traveling for a few weeks in a developing country.

I guess there is nothing to do but avoid very crunchy food and hope for the best. I went to the dentist less than 2 months ago and everything was great and don't normally have any problems. That's why I'm more inclined to think its ear.

One question... Sometimes after swimming I put in a white vinegar / alcohol mixture to prevent swimmers ear, which I got as a kid. Do you think I can do that with this pain?

Any other advice?

Please don't tell me not to ask a question here & go to the doctor- I leave in less than 12 hours. Thanks :/

[Anonymous]

Would call dentist and see if you can get an antibiotics prescription in case it is a tooth infection. These can be quite serious. However, if you are going to a developing country you can often just score the antibiotics at a pharmacy.

[Anonymous]

I'll be on a flight before the dentist opens. I speak the language of the country I'm going to but was planning to only be in the capital overnight... Oy. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Shee-it, I've been in similar situations (not this exact one, but weird health things before traveling to a developing country). It probably won't recur, and yes avoid crunchy or hard to eat things. Get a very rough idea of healthcare providers in the capital who you could see if you needed to. Make sure you take major painkillers. If it's truly that bad you just won't leave the capital. good luck.

[Anonymous]

What an annoyance!

OP, I have no medical advice. Am Googling around to see if there's anything that could help explain this.

One considerations is this:

http://healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/sharp-ear-pain-when-chewing-1

There are two common sources of ear pain when you chew.

The first comes from a problem with the ear canal. If the ear canal is swollen and tender from an infection, chewing will put pressure on this tender tissue and cause pain. The pain can be very intense.

The other common source of ear pain is inflammation in the jaw joint. Chewing puts pressure on the joint and produces the pain, which feels like an earache.

Treating an ear canal infection starts with antibiotic eardrops. Sometimes oral antibiotics are necessary if the infection is severe. Keeping water out of the ear also helps recovery.

If the pain is from an inflamed jaw joint, the standard treatment is to apply heat to the area with a heating pad or hot water bottle. You may also need to eat soft foods and take an anti-inflammatory medicine like ibuprofen. If the symptoms continue, you may need to visit a dentist for a mouth guard. In severe cases, further treatment by a temporomandibular joint specialist is necessary.

David Vernick, M.D., is assistant clinical professor of otology and laryngology at Harvard Medical School and interim chief of the Division of Otology and Laryngology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

If the above is accurate -- and it is jaw pain -- seems like you will be OK.

If it is from an infected ear canal -- would flying in a plane cause more problems do you think??

[Anonymous]

Thanks :26. Just seeing some of these posts is helping me feel better.

[Anonymous]

:27- I just went to a pharmacy and asked the pharmacist. He told me to take Sudafed if I'm a little congested because that could help. I do think it's more ear than jaw, but they're so close its hard to tell.

My trip is all swimming / water. This is not good. I feel like I should see a doc either way now

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

One question... Sometimes after swimming I put in a white vinegar / alcohol mixture to prevent swimmers ear, which I got as a kid. Do you think I can do that with this pain?

Sure -- that ca't hurt! If it is an infected ear canal, that seems like it'll be pretty easy to treat, even in a developing country -- in the capital, right?

[Anonymous]

Yeah. But I get in tomorrow evening and was planning to leave in the morning to go elsewhere. Perhaps that won't be the plan

[Anonymous]

There are urgent care that stay open late, You might do a quick internet check to see if you can locate one.

[Anonymous]

Thanks. I just called one but I wouldn't be able to get an Rx filled outside the country.

[Anonymous]

CVS has a number of all night pharmacies. I've been at 3 in the morning after a kid's ER visit.

[Anonymous]

Get the ex filled tonight, 24 hr pharmacy, call on call for your poco, explain situation and see if they will call in an ex you can pick up tonight, they may not be willing but worth a try

[Anonymous]

Should have read pcp

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah. But I get in tomorrow evening and was planning to leave in the morning to go elsewhere. Perhaps that won't be the plan

well.. I hate to use this expression but -- it is what it is.

If the pain persists, you will probably want to get it treated. If there's no pain, it seems like ti probably isn't anything too serious that can't wait.